casting: size and lube

[Lefty SRH]

What is an effective method of sizing and lubing the bullets in one step? Can I see pictures of the setup too. A friend pan lubes then sizes. I'd like to find a happy medium between cost savings and saving time.
I have 105lbs of lead ingots ready to go but would like to have the size/lube ready also.

 

[VA Shooter]

I have a Lyman 4500 Lube sizer that takes care of sizing and lubing in one step never tried pan lubing

 

[Mobuck]

Pan sizing is slow, messy, and inconsistent. If you're planning on doing more than 100 or so bullets at a time, look for a sizer/luber press. The Lymans are simple,seem to work fine,and hold their value if not rusted or broken.
It's usually more cost effective to buy the sizer with the heater rather than buying the heater after you realize you need it later.

 

[keyston44]

Do you even need to size? I only run my bullets thru a Lee Push Thru Sizer if I'm pressing on a gas check. I tumble lube my handgun bullets and dip my rifle bullets. For lube I'm using 50% Lee Liquid Alox and 50% Johnson Paste Wax with a squirt of mineral spirits to clean out the LLA bottle. Some of my rifle bullets I've pushed over 2000 fps without any leading at all. The key to all of this is that the bullets fit your bore.

Key

 

[contender]

The Lyman 450 is the way to go.

 

[anachronism]

Most effective? The Star Sizer...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZCtLi8i7tMg

 

[EDK]

My question would be....Do you have time or money?

The LEE push through sizer and LEE LIQUID ALOX is slow and can be messy, but it is CHEAP and works.

The LYMAN or RCBS lubricator sizer is faster and cleaner, but about $150 to get you going.

The STAR is a cadillac, but more for the high volume casters. Cost is around $300...and worth every penny once you get it adjusted properly!

My standard quote is "a high volume pistol shooter needs 4 (or 5 or 6 ) cavity bullet moulds, a STAR lubricator/sizer, and a DILLON 550B (or equivalent) progressive reloading press."

"You gonna use them pistols or whistle Dixie?"

 

[Swampman]

Tossing all the bullets in a plastic zip-lock bag with a couple of squirts of Liquid Alox and a dash of alcohol works great. Just knead them around a bit and dump them out on aluminum foil to dry. I shoot them as cast without sizing. Cheap and works great....

 

[Bucks Owin]

The Lyman 450 is the way to go.

10X amigo, my old 450 has made a lot of fine bullets, and is still going strong...
(Hint: If one uses "stiff" lube or use in cold temps, do your 450 linkage a favor and put a heater under it.. :wink

As to lube, I think I've messed with about a dozen flavors, some good, some worthless. A couple months ago I filled up with LBT soft. I'll be ordering enough to last me for the duration of my handloading endeavors...Experimentation with lube is over!!! Thanks Veral! 8)

If I was to ever need to go with pan lubing again, I'd simply melt a little LBT in a pan and roll the bullets through a thin film of it. Lee alox is "OK", and I've used it some, but feel it's marginal when velocities and pressures are high. In those cases, you will get some leading with it in my experience. (I also prefer to just dip the bearing surface in undiluted LLA rather than have the messy stuff coat the whole bullet)

Just my MO... :wink:

 

[clintsfolly]

If you get a lyman or RCBS find a plate of aluminum to put under it when you mount it. Then if you need heat to make the lube flow better buy a cheap clothes iron. seat on the plate sticking out the back of the sizer. set heat on low 10 minutes lube flow easy!! Clint

 

[mikld]

Yep, sizing and lubing in one step is best done (only way?) with a lubersizer. RCBS and Lyman are prolly the most common, fllowed by Star and Saeco But they are not perfect; some are hard to adjust and some leak.

Pan lubing and tumble lubing are only as messy as you are, and I don't have any problems there. I have avoided getting a lubersizer because tumble lubing and pan lubing have served my purposes for over 12 years shooting cast bullets in my 38/357, .44 Mag. & Spec., and 45 ACP. When I find a bullet/lube combo (which is much easier pan lubing) I usually lube up 100 to 200 at a time, and a lot of times I'll stock pile a particular bullet lubed with a particular lube. Some lubes allow you to "punch" the bullets out of the lube cake some lubes are "stickier" and take a bit longer 'cause you have to cut them out of the cake. Either way it isn't a "chore" to pan lube. Tumble lubing is so quick and simple it hardly needs explaination. I just put 100 or so bullets in a container, squirt a bit of thinned alox or 45/45/10 in, and swirl. I like to stand bullets on end to allow the lube to run off the nose and get a more even coating, but many eliminate this step and pour them out on a piece of waxed paper. Any sizing I need to do is easily done with my Lee dies (two standard and two "custom"). Piece 'o cake and been working for me fer years...

 

[Bucks Owin]

If you get a lyman or RCBS find a plate of aluminum to put under it when you mount it. Then if you need heat to make the lube flow better buy a cheap clothes iron. seat on the plate sticking out the back of the sizer. set heat on low 10 minutes lube flow easy!! Clint

Yep, that'd work good, or even just have a hair dryer blow on it. But Lyman sells a nice little heater that mounts under the sizer. I find it can use a timer on the cord though, unless you unplug it now and then it eventually warms too much...

I thought of another little twist I learned from Veral Smith regarding "leakage". I have a 1/4" drive L-handle and socket on my lube screw, and when I size a bullet I apply pressure only when the bullet is in the size die. Then I back off the screw 1/4 turn as I raise the bullet out of the die. It's a two handed method that soon becomes ingrained...Voila, leakage pretty much eliminated, even when the lube is heated and somewhat "thin".... :wink:

 

[J Miller]

I've used the same RCBS Lube-A-Matic for the last 30 years. If you use normal lube that does not require heat to flow sizing and lubing is simple, fairly clean and quick.

I've also got a couple of old Lee pan lube kits and one of the current Lee push through kits. Those also work, but I prefer the Lube-A-Matic to the others for quantity work.

Joe